Langya, exchange study.
These four words reached Gu Wuyou’s ears without any warning. She seemed to be momentarily stunned, even stopping her embroidery… Did this happen in her past life?
She thought carefully for a moment and realized that, indeed, this had happened.
If she remembered correctly, it should have been an exchange program between Kongshan Academy of Langya and Luming Academy.
Just as Luming Academy was the most prestigious academy in the capital, Kongshan Academy was the highest institution of learning in Langya. In Langya, almost all scholars set their sights on entering Kongshan Academy.
These two academies, with a history spanning centuries, held such exchange programs nearly every year.
In the winter, Kongshan Academy would send a group of students to Luming Academy for an exchange, and when spring arrived, Luming Academy would send some students in return to Kongshan Academy.
Compared to Luming Academy—
Gu Wuyou knew far more about Kongshan Academy, all because Zhao Chengyou… studied there.
In her past life, she had loved Zhao Chengyou to the point of obsession. Naturally, she paid close attention to everything related to him, including the academy he attended and the friends he made. If Kongshan Academy had allowed female students, she might have even enrolled just to be near Zhao Chengyou, even though she despised studying.
However.
Gu Wuyou smiled, pulling herself out of her past memories.
To her, these matters had long since passed like a fleeting horse’s shadow. She no longer cared about Zhao Chengyou’s affairs, and as for this exchange program, it had even less to do with her… Moreover, if she remembered correctly, Zhao Chengyou had not come to the capital that year.
With that thought, she stopped dwelling on it, picked up her sachet again, and lowered her head to continue embroidering.
Since the teacher had not yet arrived, the conversation in the room continued. A girl, blushing, whispered, “I wonder who Kongshan Academy will send this time? The students who came last year were truly handsome. The mountains and rivers of Langya indeed nurture fine men, unlike the capital, which is filled with rough and reckless brutes.”
“I still remember Young Master Lu from last year—dressed in white, graceful and refined, and so gentle.”
“And that Young Master Liu, his voice was particularly pleasant. Every time he spoke, I would blush!”
The young ladies chatted away, discussing either the latest fashion and makeup or the most handsome young gentlemen.
Right now, they were in a heated discussion about the students who had come last year. Someone commented, “Those who came last year probably won’t return this year. But that Young Heir of Yong’an Marquis… he has never come before.”
“I heard that Dean Xu specifically wrote to Langya this year, inviting them for an exchange. I wonder if he will come this time?”
Though it was called an exchange, it was actually a way to probe the competition.
In just a few months after the New Year, preparations for the Spring Examination would begin. Both academies were striving to outdo each other. By engaging in close interaction, they could assess whether their rivals were truly as formidable as the rumors claimed.
“I heard that the Young Heir of Yong’an Marquis is extraordinarily handsome, highly talented in literature, and exceptionally gentle in temperament. In Langya, he is even praised as the number one gentleman. But… we have never had the chance to see him.”
As soon as this was said, someone beside her suddenly yanked her sleeve hard. Even Gu Yu, who had remained silent all this time, had a dark expression on her face.
The girl was confused. Being pulled so abruptly, she almost lost her balance and, feeling displeased, asked, “Why are you pulling me?”
“Are you tired of living? Do you not know who he is?” Someone lowered their voice and whispered to her.
“Who? Isn’t he just the Young Heir of Yong’an Marquis?” The girl was momentarily stunned before suddenly realizing—her face paled, and she hurriedly covered her mouth.
Oh no… How could she have forgotten?
The current Young Heir of Yong’an Marquis was the former fiancé of the Leping County Princess.
The group that had been chatting so animatedly just now suddenly fell into silence, with every one of them turning their gazes toward Gu Wuyou, who was seated at the back.
Gu Wuyou seemed to sense their stares. She paused her movements, raised an eyebrow, and looked up with a smile. “Why are you all looking at me?”
Seeing that her attitude remained calm and that she didn’t appear angry, someone finally whispered, “County Princess, we didn’t mean anything by it…”
“It’s fine. It’s all in the past,” Gu Wuyou replied with a smile, shaking her head, not taking the matter to heart.
However… she suddenly thought of something. Since there was such lively discussion about this in Pingshuo Study Hall, what about Buzhi Study Hall?
If the Great General heard about this, would he be unhappy?
She carefully recalled her past life. At this time back then, although she had liked Zhao Chengyou, she had never done anything inappropriate.
At most, she had just followed behind him all the time… and bullied a few girls who admired him.
Hmm.
The little County Princess suddenly felt a headache coming on and pressed the back of her hand against her forehead. Even just that was enough for people to gossip about.
As for Zhao Chengyou, given his personality, she wasn’t worried. He had always been adept at maintaining appearances. No matter how unpleasant he was in private, he would never show it in public.
But what about the people around him?
She didn’t care how others saw her.
But Li Qinyuan’s opinion mattered greatly to her. She didn’t want him to misunderstand anything.
She needed to find an opportunity to explain things to the Great General.
That she had once liked Zhao Chengyou was a fact—one she couldn’t deny. But now, her heart was entirely filled with someone else, with no space for anyone else.
She had to make this clear to him.
The group in Pingshuo Study Hall, seeing her reaction, had no idea what she was actually thinking. They assumed she was upset by their earlier words.
After all, they had eaten and chatted together before. Their relationship with Gu Wuyou wasn’t the same as it had been in the past.
So now, one after another, they chimed in—
“That Young Heir of Yong’an Marquis isn’t such a big deal anyway. What ‘Number One Gentleman’? As if our capital has no worthy men. Forget about Third Young Master Gu and Lord Shen—just among the young men of Buzhi Study Hall, there are plenty better than him.”
“Exactly! Our capital is full of outstanding talents. How could Langya’s people compare?”
“In terms of literary talent, he’s no match for Jing Gongzi. In terms of appearance, Li Qilang surpasses him by far… That so-called ‘Number One Gentleman’ title of his is nothing but an empty name.”
“He’d better not come this time! If he does, we’ll show him who’s truly superior!”
Listening to these words, how could Gu Wuyou not understand their intentions?
Her heart warmed, and the tangled thoughts that had been troubling her were set aside for the time being.
Looking up at the people in the room, she said nothing, but a bright and dazzling smile appeared on her face.
Meanwhile, over at Buzhi Study Hall—
Just as Gu Wuyou had guessed, they were also discussing the exchange program.
However, unlike the girls who blushed and giggled while talking about handsome young gentlemen, the boys’ discussion was filled with righteous indignation.
“Last year, aside from Yu Bai, all of us lost to those brats from Kongshan Academy. This year, we can’t let history repeat itself! We have to put them in their place!”
“Exactly! You guys don’t know how those bastards put on such refined airs while they were here, making all the girls at Pingshuo Study Hall fall for them. But once they returned to Langya, they were full of arrogance, speaking ill of our academy everywhere.”
“Bah! Who do they think they are? Langya is nothing but a backwater filled with ignorant fools, yet they dare to look down on us?”
“When they come this time, we must unite and stand against them!”
“Yes!”
“Absolutely!”
…
“I wonder if the Young Heir of Yong’an Marquis will come this time?” Someone finally brought up Zhao Chengyou.
“Who knows? If you ask me, Kongshan Academy puts way too much importance on Zhao Chengyou. Do they really think of him as some kind of secret weapon? When it comes to literary talent, he might not even be a match for Yubai.”
Last year’s provincial examination—
Zhao Chengyou may have ranked first in Langya, but their Yubai had claimed the top spot in the capital!
If it really came down to a competition, why should they be afraid?
“Yubai, you went to Kongshan Academy two years ago. Have you met the Young Heir of Yong’an Marquis?” someone asked.
Jing Yubai nodded at the question. “I have.”
The moment the others heard that, they immediately grew excited and pressed him for details. “What do you think of him? Is he really as formidable as the rumors say?”
Jing Yubai seemed to ponder for a moment before saying, “Two years ago, I competed against him.”
Hearing this, even Li Qinyuan, who usually didn’t pay much attention to these topics, turned his head. Leaning against the wall with his hand propping up his head, he raised an eyebrow and silently waited for the rest of the story.
Fu Xian, on the other hand, had no patience. He asked eagerly, “And the result?”
Jing Yubai sighed. “A draw.”
A draw?
The entire room fell into stunned silence.
Jing Yubai’s literary talent was not only recognized by the entire academy but even the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor had praised him, saying he was a man of great promise and destined to be a pillar of the nation.
“And now…” someone hesitated, hesitant to ask the obvious question.
Jing Yubai knew what they wanted to say and shook his head. “I haven’t seen him in two years, so I don’t know how much he has improved since then.”
After a brief pause, he continued, “But no matter what, the Young Heir of Yong’an Marquis is indeed… a terrifying opponent.”
As soon as these words fell, the group that had been righteously indignant just moments ago suddenly grew quiet.
For someone to be acknowledged as an opponent by Jing Yubai… he was undoubtedly not someone to be underestimated.
The once lively room now fell into silence.
Meanwhile, Qi Xu, who had been warming himself by the fire and eating a roasted sweet potato, suddenly made a sound of realization. While chewing on the soft, sticky flesh of the sweet potato, he muttered, “Wait a minute… Isn’t the Young Heir of Yong’an Marquis that guy who was Little Pepper’s former fiancé?”
As he spoke, he didn’t notice the sudden change in Li Qinyuan’s expression beside him.
Li Qinyuan had previously treated this entire conversation with detached indifference, listening absentmindedly as they discussed Zhao Chengyou. But upon hearing Qi Xu’s words, he furrowed his brows.
He had forgotten about this matter.
And apparently, so had Fu Xian. It wasn’t until Qi Xu brought it up that he suddenly reacted. “Oh—right!”
Taking half a sweet potato from Qi Xu, Fu Xian spoke while munching, his voice muffled. “You know, Little Pepper used to brag about how amazing her fiancé was all the time. She might not have much going for her, but she’s always had good taste.”
“Otherwise, she wouldn’t have liked him so much before.”
“It seems…”
Fu Xian, still unaware of his friend’s darkening expression, continued to stroke his chin and ponder deeply. “This Zhao fellow is actually pretty impressive.”
After saying this, he patted Jing Yubai on the shoulder. “Dabai, our academy is depending on you. You absolutely cannot lose to him!”
Jing Yubai cast Fu Xian a helpless glance.
Where had this guy’s usual perceptiveness gone? Could he not see how dark Qilang’s face had become?
Sighing inwardly, Jing Yubai decided to ignore this fool.
“Dabai, why are you ignoring me?” Fu Xian leaned in, looking puzzled.
Seeing that Jing Yubai still didn’t respond, he turned his head toward Li Qinyuan instead.
It was only then that Fu Xian finally noticed how awful his good friend’s expression had become. He let out a surprised noise and blurted, “Qilang, what’s wrong? Why do you look so awful? Are you sick?”
Already in a foul mood, Li Qinyuan’s expression grew even darker at this comment.
Without a word, he grabbed a booklet from the table and smacked it onto Fu Xian’s face.
“Go to class and stop annoying me.”
After saying that, Li Qinyuan lowered his head and stared at the open booklet on the table.
“Ugh, what was that for?” Fu Xian looked aggrieved and was about to say more when Qi Xu, finally realizing the situation, quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Li Qinyuan couldn’t be bothered to care.
His mind was entirely occupied by Fu Xian’s earlier words—
“Little Pepper used to brag about how amazing her fiancé was. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have liked him so much before.”
Fiancé?
That engagement had already been annulled!
Young Master Li pressed his lips together, his handsome face shifting from pale to dark in an instant, his emotions churning like flames scorching his chest.